


Breathe

by varooooom



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-23
Updated: 2012-05-23
Packaged: 2017-11-05 22:03:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/411477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/varooooom/pseuds/varooooom
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The sands of time are far more fickle than the strings of fate.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Breathe

Merlin can stop time.

He can halt the world in its tracks, just like he can feel the pulse of it in his veins.

He can see the archer atop the hill not a hundred paces away. He can hear his heartbeat pounding away, feel the tremor in his arm from the recoil.

He can see the glint of sunlight on the arrowhead where it's frozen not a breadth's width away from the mail on Arthur's back, perfectly aimed to pierce the heart.

Merlin can hear the earth in his fingertips, borne of its spirit and bred of its power. He can feel everything.

He can hear it speak to him.

' _It's too late._ '

Time snaps back into place. 

The heartbeat atop the hill stops with a shattering cry as his entire body rejects him at Merlin's command.

The heartbeat right before him dulls to a sickeningly slow pace, but the only scream that comes is Merlin's.

The king falls to his knees and the warlock is there to catch him, propped up against his chest as he frantically gets his hands on his face, to search out Arthur's eyes, to find him there, to see the light of the sky with the Sun that burns in Arthur's chest.

Burned. Burned.

"It's too late," Arthur croaks, a horrible smile on his lips to clash something awful with the pain written across his features as he slumps forward, boneless and heavy. The weight of the world, in Merlin's fingertips that have gone so cold.

Merlin's heart doesn't stop beating, but he wishes it would.

Time rips in half and moves backwards.

Merlin screams, a guttural cry that tears at the throat and stings at the eyes and he can't hear the earth beyond the racing of his heartbeat in his ears.

Arthur startles in the bed beside him, searching first for the sign of threat before placing a hand on Merlin's chest, worry and fear and irritation at the loss of sleep in his eyes.

His beautiful blue eyes. The sky, the Sun. Burning bright, still burning, and Merlin cries.

"It's too late," he weeps, shaking against Arthur when the king pulls him into his arms. "It's too late, it's too late."

Over and over, an erratic heartbeat, shaken sobs and time stands still as Arthur strokes through his hair, kisses the top of his head, and his heart beats strong at Merlin's ears.

He can hear the world speak to him. _His_ world, his Earth, his Sun and Moon, the stars above him. His everything.

"It's not too late. I'm here."


End file.
